ABSTRACT:

In this study, we report the case of a patient presenting a severe atrophic mandible that was treated with short implants and stable internal fixation, without using bone grafts or biomaterials. The patient had a long history of failure of several previous consecutive treatments. Cone-bean tomography revealed a small amount of mandibular bone, suggesting a high risk of fracture of the mandible during drilling and installation of osseointegrated implants. We opted to place 5 implants (4.0 × 7.0 mm) between the mental foramens. Since the mandible presented a high risk of fracture, we inserted a titanium plate (2.3 mm) as bone reinforcement along the entire length of the mandible, including the bilateral mandibular angles. A Branemark type prosthesis was installed 5 days after the procedure. After 24 months, the patient continues to be satisfied and presents good masticatory functions without any complications.